Ah yes, the wonderful world of handheld gaming. Though we’ve seen some pretty good handhelds come out in the past (Sega GameGear and Nintendo DS), for the most part they’ve just been extremely disappointing. Modojo’s top 10 list of handheld failures lets gamers reminisce on how much money they threw down the drain over “promising” portables. I myself took a blow when I purchased a Sony PSP. It wasn’t all bad though, I did have my fun with Burnout Revenge for a while, that was until I decided to give the Nintendo DS a chance. Sometimes, I still find myself wishing I had a Sega GameGear, maybe I should check out that Caleco portable sometime soon.
Here’s a video of the Nintendo Wii interface done by Matt from IGN. Though all the features work, everything is done with a dev-kit Wii, so there may be a few subtle changes made before the actual console ships. Matt goes through all the features including customization of the interface, nickname options, choosing what games to play and all that fun stuff that you’ll waste about 20 minutes doing when you first get your console. I was against the disc drive (I don’t particularly like slot loading) of the Wii at first, but after seeing it in action, I can’t complain. There’s a little annoying sound that happens every time you click something, hopefully there will be a way to disable that or at least make it quieter. The video is around 10 minutes long, so sit back, relax and enjoy the show.
In the spirit of Halloween (and national diversity), I’d like to take a minute to break from our regularly scheduled programming for this video intermission. Enjoy.
As we mentioned yesterday, a much anticipated update for the Xbox 360 was scheduled to drop today. And as promised, users were able to log in this morning and download the fall update. The new version adds:
New Features
HD 1080p video mode support over VGA and component cables.
Xbox 360 HD DVD Player support.
Stream WMV video from a Windows PC running Windows Media Player 11, Zune software, or Windows Media Connect.
Play video from storage devices such as USB flash drives, Xbox 360 Memory Units, etc.
Play video from CD or DVD data discs.
Xbox 360 Wireless Headset support, including battery level indicator in the Xbox Guide.
Video support for 50 Hz HDTV modes (DVD and HD DVD only).
Xbox 360 Wireless Racing Wheel support.
Set up automatic downloads of newly released Xbox Live Arcade trial games.
Support for upcoming release of XNA Game Studio Express (separate download and subscription required.)
Stream music, pictures and video from a Zune device.
Moto has a Linux-based ROKR ready to go that’s already cleared the FCC labyrinth of regulation, so it’s likely that the RAZR in this shot will sport some Linuxy goodness.
Also on the page, which is from an isreali gadget blog we can’t read, are photos of a “glowing PEBL”, and uglyized version of the popular T-Mobile PEBL. We’re not exactly sure what “glowing” refers to, but this PEBL does have what appears to be dual outer displays, and it looks like one’s color and one’s monochrome, which is confusing as hell. We’re going to comb through the FCC database now and see if we can find anything on these guys, but for now we’re calling it a Halloween mystery.
The boys over at bit-tech.net got their hands on an Extreme 64 power notebook from Rock. In honor of Halloween, the case was modded to feature skulls on a rock-looking background. It came out looking surprisingly cool, but the final product added another 2-pounds to a system that already weighs over 10. Crazy. Anyway, you can follow the link below for a full gallery.
Kanguru has released a new flash drive that includes biometrics. The Bio Slider II comes in capacities ranging from 256MB up to 4GB and features fingerprint recognition. To activate, simply plug in the drive and and slide your finger across the sensor on the drive. The fingerprint recognition software is stored on the drive and does not install anything on the computer. It utilizes USB 2.0 and is compatible with Windows 98 – XP. It’s available now for $99.95 – $299.95.
2006 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show today, but this UVIA M100 mobile infotainment device from Unwired Vehicles is one of the sweetest. The box uses EV-DO mobile broadband from Verizon or Sprint to deliver rear-seat passengers in your vehicle a selection of entertainment apps along with broadband Internet access so you can check your e-mail, IM, check your fantasy teams and stream music and video. And speaking of video, the company says it works with SlingMedia’s SlingBoxes, letting you control and watch your home TV in your ride. It’s an aftermarket install, but it’s modeled after other current entertainment systems.
The UVIA M100 utilizes vehicle optimized hardware with Unwired Vehicles’ own infotainment control software pre-installed. High quality displays are installed in either the headliner or seat headrests. A 3G wireless broadband antenna is mounted externally to increase reception quality and bandwidth throughput.
The UVIA M100 will be available in Arizona, California and Nevada in December 2006 and will be available nationally in early 2007 for $3,499. (Well, we didn’t say it was gonna be cheap.) Unwired Vehicles UVIA M100 [press release]
What do you get when you mis a mac mini and a jack-o-lantern? A Mac-O-Lantern, of course. One industrious individual decided to embark on the task of making a case mod out of a pumpkin. I love the fact that he went through all the trouble of carving this thing up and putting together the case, knowing the pumpkin would only rot in a few days. Ah flirtations with futility.
Motorola announced today the availability of its Portable Bluetooth Car Kit T305. The T305 clips to the visor and allows drivers to communicate without removing their hands from the wheel. It features enhanced echo and noise reduction to provide superior clarity through the mic. And the 1-watt speaker is said to be amply sufficient.
The T305 utilizes a multifunction button that allows users to activate speech commands and has a talk time of 14 hours. The Bluetooth Car Kit is available now for $79.99 from RadioShack, Best Buy and Sprint.
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I’m just reporting on this since I don’t run Windows in my home — I’m a dirty Linux/OS X whore and proud of it — however Windows Media Player 11 is out, it’s loud, and it’s proud. The UI is considerably updated and it has direct connectivity to MTV’s URGE video service. You remember URGE, right? From that same channel that used to play music videos all the time?
Anyway, please install it and tell me if it’s any good. I might break down and hook up some XP when the Zune drops, but until them I’m an iTunes girl.
Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. I’ve been a total slacker for the past couple of years, but one year soon I’m going to properly prepare. Anyway, MAKE is holding a DIY Halloween contest. Participants can enter anything DIY stuff related to Halloween. The qualifying categories are pumpkins, costumes, decorations/gadgets and treat-or-treat (a link back category).The best entry posted so far is this decapitated Marie Antoinette. Seems like a lot of effort. Cool costume though.
Actually I just had a conversation with a friend who wants to go as a clown zombie next year with professional makeup and all. He estimates the costume will cost upwards of $2,000. I love Halloween, like I said, but that seems a bit excessive. Shrug.
SoundTech Announces LightSnake USB Intelligent Microphone Cable [product page]
 from Antec as a way to keep the hottest parts of your computer from going nuclear. Do-it-yourself computer modding is getting more and more insane as processors get higher clockspeeds and thus hit higher temperatures. The threat of burning out your proc or system board is very real, and geeks have taken to the problem with ingenuity, with everything from water cooling to liquid Nitrogen.</p>
<p>Antec has a less-extreme but just as clever way to compliment your cooling with its Spot Cool fans. These little 3-speed suckers plug into your standard fan port on the computer’s motherboard, but between the interface and the fan itself is a bendable arm, allowing you to target the “hot spot” that’s causing you grief. This allows for decent heat dissipation without breaking the bank. You should be able to find them soon at your American computer gear store for about $20 a pop, which is a decent price considering their usefulness.</p>
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Spot Cool Fans [Far East Gizmos]
Moto has a Linux-based ROKR ready to go that’s already cleared the FCC labyrinth of regulation, so it’s likely that the RAZR in this shot will sport some Linuxy goodness.
 are tending toward widescreen (closer to, if not, a 16:9 aspect ratio) displays instead of the traditional displays (4:3 aspect ratio). Wacom’s tablets mirrored the traditional 4:3 aspect ratio, so it seemed only natural that it would introduce 16:9 tablets, which it has with its Intruos3 line.</p>
<p>With a usable surface of up to 12×19-inches, the new tablets can be mapped pixel-to-pixel for the entire screen, or can even be used to express movement over dual monitors. The tablets also feature Wacom’s standard ExpressKeys, programmable shortcut buttons on the left-hand side. Also shipping with the popular Grip Pen stylus and five-button wireless mouse, it’s everything you need in one package. The smaller version, at 4×6-inches, is even portable for us laptop users. Slick.</p>
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Intuos3 Wide Format Tablets [Product Page]
2006 Specialty Equipment Market Association (SEMA) trade show today, but this UVIA M100 mobile infotainment device from Unwired Vehicles is one of the sweetest. The box uses EV-DO mobile broadband from Verizon or Sprint to deliver rear-seat passengers in your vehicle a selection of entertainment apps along with broadband Internet access so you can check your e-mail, IM, check your fantasy teams and stream music and video. And speaking of video, the company says it works with SlingMedia’s SlingBoxes, letting you control and watch your home TV in your ride. It’s an aftermarket install, but it’s modeled after other current entertainment systems., but they’re bound to sound better than the notebook speakers you’ve got on your Lenovo. The set comes with two twisting satellites and a scrollable middle trackball wheel, which glows different colors depending on what you’re doing. Tap it once for bass control, again for treble, again for mute, and one last time to get back to volume. Fairly intuitive, and much prettier than a regular volume knob.</p>
<p>They were available for $95, but they seem to have sold out now. Nevertheless, the silver/chrome finish should go well with your MacBook Pro, which goes well with all the other black/silver material that seems to be all the rage these days in computer design.</p>
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Product Page [Firebox via 
T-Mobile [via 
